2 young children killed in fire

2 boys survive blaze; cops say kids were home alone

Hours before a fire swept through their bedroom, killing their younger sister and a cousin, the two boys who survived had been watching "Batman" cartoons, they said Saturday.

When the blaze broke out at about 3:30 a.m. in their West Englewood home, Darnell, 7, and Marquis, 4, managed to run out a back door with the help of an aunt, they said. But their sister and cousin — identified by the Cook County medical examiner's office as Javaris Meakens, 2, and Jariyah Meakens, 3 — died in the blaze.

"When the fire started, everything shut off," Darnell said in an interview. "Auntie came to get us. When (she) saw the fire, she called all our names. When I opened the door, she told me, 'Come on, the fire's getting closer.'"

Authorities said no adults were present when the fire started. The mothers of the dead children were being questioned by Chicago police but no charges had been filed as of late Saturday. Authorities did not release the women's names.

The cause was also under investigation, though officials said it appeared a hot plate, possibly being used to heat the room, fell onto some clothes, and started the fire.

The children spoke to the Tribune after they were questioned by authorities in the home of a neighbor who took in the boys. Four adult women were present at the time.

Firefighters arrived at the building in the 6400 block of South Paulina Street to find flames shooting out of a bedroom and smoke throughout the first-floor apartment, said James Mungovan, deputy district fire chief.

"We got water on the fire and we made our searches which revealed two deceased people," Mungovan said. "The fire had advanced to the stage where it was open free burning."

Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said firefighters found no working smoke detectors in the building. On Saturday morning, a crew went door to door on the block offering free smoke detectors to neighbors.

As firefighters battled the blaze, neighbors Michelle Washington and Tiffany Williams saw the two boys standing outside without coats and shoes, they said.

They brought the boys into their home. Washington said the boys told her that they had gone to sleep and, when they woke up, they saw fire and smoke.

"They looked shaken and scared," Washington said. "The kids were here all night."

It was at Washington's home that fire investigators interviewed the boys, the women said. The children were later taken into protective custody by the Department of Children and Family Services.

News of the children's deaths shook up the West Englewood block and riled some neighbors who said they often saw Darnell walking home alone from school.

Some people said there was no gas service at the house, which is why the family was using the hot plate.

The family lived on the block for about 11/2 years, said neighbor Ken Allison. The women were often seen with their children but weren't well known in the neighborhood, he said.

"There's no way they should have left those kids alone," Allison said.